US Kansas State "No Transgender Use of Women's Restrooms"

A powerful transgender regulation law has been enacted in Kansas, USA.

On the 28th (local time), according to the Associated Press and political media outlet Politico, the Kansas state legislature, dominated by Republican lawmakers, overrode the veto of Democratic Governor Laura Kelly the previous day and passed a law banning transgender individuals from using certain restrooms. The law will take effect on July 1.

[Photo by AFP Yonhap News]

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While transgender restroom bans have been enacted in other states, they have mostly been limited to public schools and similar settings. This new law applies broadly to locker rooms in sports facilities, domestic violence shelters, sexual assault crisis centers, detention centers, and prisons.

The law defines "female" as "a person with a reproductive system designed to produce ova from birth." The Kansas legislature referred to it as the "Women's Bill of Rights." However, the law does not include penalties for violations or provisions for reporting violations.

The group supporting the enactment, Independent Women's Voice, welcomed the law, stating it will "prevent judges, officials, and administrators in Kansas from redefining the word 'woman' as 'a person who identifies as a woman.'"

Recently, transgender regulation bills have been introduced at record levels across the United States. The Washington Post analyzed that the Republican camp views this as a kind of "culture war" to rally their base ahead of elections.

States that previously introduced transgender regulation laws include Kentucky and West Virginia, all with strong conservative leanings. Notably, last month, the Kentucky state House and Senate overrode the veto of Democratic Governor Andy Beshear on a transgender opposition law despite protests from LGBTQ and human rights groups.

A protest was held against the adoption of a bill opposing transgender people in Kentucky, USA.
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According to the LGBTQ rights group Human Rights Campaign, more than 470 anti-LGBTQ laws have been introduced in the U.S. this year as of last month. Of these, over 190 target transgender individuals.

In addition to restroom bans, at least twenty-one states have enacted laws restricting transgender athletes from participating in female sports competitions, and at least fourteen states have enacted laws banning gender-affirming care for minors.

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